Marouane Fellaini facts for kids
Fellaini playing for Belgium at the 2018 FIFA World Cup
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui | |||||||||||||||
| Date of birth | 22 November 1987 | |||||||||||||||
| Place of birth | Etterbeek, Brussels, Belgium | |||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | |||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||
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Current team
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Retired | |||||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||||
| 1994–1997 | Anderlecht | |||||||||||||||
| 1997–2000 | Mons | |||||||||||||||
| 2000–2002 | R. Francs Borains | |||||||||||||||
| 2002–2004 | Sporting Charleroi | |||||||||||||||
| 2004–2006 | Standard Liège | |||||||||||||||
| Senior career* | ||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2008 | Standard Liège | 64 | (9) | |||||||||||||
| 2008–2013 | Everton | 141 | (25) | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2019 | Manchester United | 119 | (12) | |||||||||||||
| 2019–2023 | Shandong Taishan | 108 | (39) | |||||||||||||
| Total | 432 | (85) | ||||||||||||||
| International career | ||||||||||||||||
| 2004–2005 | Belgium U18 | 3 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Belgium U19 | 6 | (1) | |||||||||||||
| 2006 | Morocco U20 | 1 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2006–2007 | Belgium U21 | 7 | (0) | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2018 | Belgium | 87 | (18) | |||||||||||||
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Medal record
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| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | ||||||||||||||||
Marouane Fellaini-Bakkioui (born 22 November 1987) is a Belgian former professional footballer. He played as a midfielder and was known for his strong presence and heading ability.
Born in Etterbeek, Belgium, to Moroccan parents, Fellaini started his football journey in youth teams like Anderlecht before joining Standard Liège. He then moved to England, playing for Everton and Manchester United. Later, he played for Chinese Super League club Shandong Taishan in China.
Fellaini also represented the Belgium national team for many years. He played in major tournaments like the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2018 FIFA World Cup, where Belgium finished third. He retired from professional football on February 3, 2024.
Contents
About Marouane Fellaini
Marouane Fellaini was born in Etterbeek, a part of Brussels, Belgium. His parents were from Tangier, Morocco. His father, Abdellatif, was also a goalkeeper who played football professionally in Morocco. Fellaini is a Muslim.
Club Career Highlights
Starting His Football Journey
Fellaini began playing football when he was just 7 years old at Anderlecht's academy. He was also good at athletics, especially long-distance running. However, his father encouraged him to focus on football.
He scored many goals in his early years at Anderlecht. At age 10, he moved to Mons because his father got a new job there. He later played for R. Francs Borains and Sporting Charleroi. When he was 17, he signed his first professional contract with Standard Liège. Between 2006 and 2008, he played 84 games for Standard Liège and scored 11 goals. He became known for his excellent heading skills and his energy on the field. In 2008, he won the Ebony Shoe award, which is given to the best player of African descent in the Belgian league.
Time at Everton
In September 2008, Fellaini joined Everton in England. This was a big move, costing £15 million, which was a record for Everton at the time. He made his first appearance for Everton on September 14, 2008, in a match against Stoke City. He scored his first goal for the team against Newcastle United on October 5, 2008. He scored 9 goals in his first season.
During his first season, he received many yellow cards. He met with the head referee in England and promised to improve his behavior. At the end of the 2008–09 season, he was named Everton's Young Player of the Season.
In England, Fellaini became famous for his large afro hairstyle. Everton fans often wore Afro wigs to show their support for him. He sometimes played as a second striker when other players were injured. His coach, David Moyes, praised him highly, saying he was "as good as anyone in the league." In February 2010, he got an injury during a match that kept him out for the rest of the season.
He suffered another injury in February 2011, which made him miss the rest of the 2010–11 season. He returned to play in August 2011. In November 2011, he signed a new five-year contract with Everton. He was a very active player, winning the most tackles and aerial duels for his team.
In the first game of the 2012–13 Premier League season, Fellaini scored the only goal in a 1–0 win against Manchester United. He continued to play very well, scoring against teams like Arsenal and Manchester City. He was named the Premier League Player of the Month for November 2012. In December 2012, he was banned for three matches for an incident during a game against Stoke City.
Playing for Manchester United
On September 2, 2013, Fellaini joined Manchester United. He signed a four-year contract and reunited with his former coach, David Moyes. The transfer cost £27.5 million. He made his first appearance for Manchester United on September 14, 2013, in a 2–0 win against Crystal Palace. His first full game was on September 17, in a Champions League match against Bayer Leverkusen. In November, he received a red card in a Champions League game against Real Sociedad.
2014–15 Season
In his first pre-season game of the 2014–15 season, Fellaini scored his first goal for Manchester United. It was an injury-time goal that gave his team a 2–1 win over Valencia.
On October 20, 2014, he scored his first goal in a competitive match for Manchester United. It was in a 2–2 draw against West Bromwich Albion. He continued to score important goals, including one against Chelsea and his first home goal for United against Stoke City. He scored his third goal of the season against Queens Park Rangers in January 2015. In March 2015, he scored and assisted another goal in a 3–0 win against Tottenham. He also scored in the Manchester derby in April. He finished the season with seven goals.
2015–16 Season
In his first match of the 2015–16 season, Fellaini scored in a 3–1 win against Club Brugge in the Champions League play-offs. His coach, Louis van Gaal, said that Fellaini would play more as a striker.
Fellaini scored the first goal in a 2–1 win against Everton in the FA Cup semi-final in April 2016. In May, he received a three-match ban for an incident with a Leicester City player. He played the entire 120 minutes in the 2016 FA Cup final, where Manchester United beat Crystal Palace 2–1 in extra time. He also helped set up Juan Mata's goal in the final.
2016–17 Season
On August 7, 2016, Fellaini played the full game in United's 2–1 Community Shield victory over Leicester City. On December 4, he played his 100th game for United against his old club Everton. He gave away a penalty late in the game, which led to a 1–1 draw. Even though he sometimes came off the bench, Manchester United extended his contract until the end of the 2017–18 season. He played the whole game in United's 2017 UEFA Europa League Final win against Ajax.
2017–18 Season
Fellaini scored his first goal of the 2017–18 season against Leicester City in August 2017. He then scored a header against Basel in the Champions League. On September 30, Fellaini scored two goals in a 4–0 win against Crystal Palace. His coach, José Mourinho, praised his performances, saying he was a "fighter." He signed a new two-year contract at the end of the season.
2018–19 Season
Fellaini played 19 games for Manchester United in the first half of the 2018–19 season. He scored important goals in the last minute against Derby County and Young Boys. However, after the coach José Mourinho left, Fellaini played less often.
Moving to China: Shandong Taishan
In February 2019, Fellaini moved to the Chinese club Shandong Luneng (now called Shandong Taishan). This ended his five-and-a-half years with Manchester United.
He played for Shandong Taishan for five years. He announced on November 3, 2023, that he would leave the club at the end of the season. His last game for the club was in the 2023 Chinese FA Cup final.
Retirement from Football
On February 3, 2024, Marouane Fellaini announced that he was retiring from professional football.
International Career
Fellaini could have played for either Belgium or Morocco, but he chose to represent Belgium from a young age. He played for the Belgium under-23 team at the 2008 Olympics, where they finished fourth. He made his debut for the senior national team in February 2007 and scored his first goal against Portugal in a Euro 2008 qualification match.
Fellaini played a key role in Belgium's qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup, their first World Cup since 2002. On June 17, 2014, in Belgium's first match against Algeria, Fellaini came on as a substitute and scored the equalizing goal in a 2–1 win. He played in every game as Belgium reached the quarter-finals, where they lost to Argentina.
During qualification for UEFA Euro 2016, Fellaini scored two goals against Cyprus and the winning goal against Israel. In June 2015, he scored two more goals in a friendly match against France.
At the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia, Fellaini scored an important equalizing goal against Japan in the round of 16. Belgium went on to win that match 3–2. On March 7, 2019, Fellaini announced his retirement from international football. He played 87 games for Belgium and scored 18 goals.
How He Played
Fellaini was considered one of the best players in the Premier League during his best years. He was a very flexible player who could play in many different positions. He often played as a defensive midfielder or a central midfielder, running all over the field. He could also play further up the field as a playmaker or even as a second striker. When he was younger, he sometimes played as a centre-back or out wide as a winger.
Fellaini was known for his strong tackles and hard work, even though he wasn't the fastest player. He was also good at scoring goals from midfield and could shoot and pass well with both feet. He was excellent at holding up the ball and controlling it with his chest. Because of his height and strong build, he was especially good in the air and scored many goals with his head. His coaches sometimes used him as a target man or even a striker because of his aerial ability.
Honours and Awards
Standard Liège
- Belgian First Division: 2007–08
Manchester United
- FA Cup: 2015–16
- EFL Cup: 2016–17
- FA Community Shield: 2016
- UEFA Europa League: 2016–17
Shandong Taishan
- Chinese Super League: 2021
- Chinese FA Cup: 2020, 2021, 2022
Belgium
- FIFA World Cup third place: 2018
Individual Awards
- Best Belgian Player Abroad: 2008
- Belgian Bronze Shoe: 2008
- Ebony Shoe: 2008
- Everton Young Player of the Season: 2008–09
- Premier League Player of the Month: November 2012
- Belgian Lion Award Best Player Abroad: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
See also
In Spanish: Marouane Fellaini para niños
